DETROIT (WXYZ) — Attorneys who represent a significant number of criminal defendants in Wayne County went on strike today after months of negotiations failed.
Dozens of employees with Neighborhood Defender Service were seen picketing outside the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center Friday. The group provides legal representation for defendants who don’t have the means to hire their own attorney.
The union, which represents not just lawyers but also investigators, social workers and paralegals, has been fighting to maintain cost-free health insurance in addition to a 3% annual raise, instead of the 1% raises they’ve been offered.
“We care about our clients so deeply, and we help people through some of the worst days of their lives,” said Sarah Khan, a staff attorney a chapter chair for their Detroit union.
“While they’re facing evictions, while they’re facing criminal charges in which their freedom is on the line. Our members and our workers are there every step of the way," she said.
Some 60 lawyers will be away from the courtroom while the strike is ongoing, leading their supervisors to pick up the remaining caseloads.
Ashley Munger, a staff attorney and member of the bargaining committee, said sharing the news of the strike with their clients left lawyers “filled with guilt,” but said their clients were supportive of the decision.
“We’re showing our clients that we are willing to fight for ourselves so that we can stay in this work for the long run for them,” Munger said.
Striking workers on Friday were joined in support by Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County and Detroit health director currently seeking the Democratic nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, and State Rep. Alabas Farhat.
